Childhood Experiences, Attachment Styles and Personality Traits in Young Adults

Abstract

The present study examined the role of childhood trauma and attachment insecurity in the development of vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic traits among young adults. Drawing upon Attachment Theory, the study investigated whether early adverse experiences are associated with narcissistic tendencies and whether attachment insecurity functions as a developmental mechanism linking childhood trauma to narcissistic outcomes. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was employed with 103 university students aged 18 to 26 years. Data were collected using a researcher-adapted questionnaire based on selected items from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form, Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised, Narcissistic Personality Inventory–16, and Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics. Results indicated that attachment insecurity was significantly and positively associated with vulnerable narcissism (r = .294, p = .003). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that attachment insecurity significantly predicted vulnerable narcissism (B = 0.351, p = .002), whereas childhood trauma did not emerge as a significant predictor (B = 0.041, p = .620). The regression model was statistically significant, F(2, 100) = 4.97, p = .009, explaining 9.0% of the variance in vulnerable narcissism (R² = .090). Grandiose narcissism was not significantly associated with the primary study variables. The findings highlight the central role of attachment insecurity in understanding vulnerable narcissistic traits among young adults and underscore the value of attachment-based and trauma-informed interventions.